Guide for File Prep and Cutting Universal Laser Cutters · Raster engraving (black) 2. Vector...

The Advanced Output CenterSullivan Center, Rm. 1232

312 629 6688 / [email protected] document is available electronically at http://crit.artic.edu/aoc

Page: 1 of 12 LastModified:June10,201312:00PM

GuideforFilePrepandCutting

UniversalLaserCuttersGeneralInformation

UniversalX2-660andPLS6.150DLaserCuttersLocation: AdvancedOutputCenter,1232SullivanAccess: Self-serve,opentocurrentlyenrolledstudents,active facultyandstaff;Usersmustbeauthorizedpriortouse; Seeaccesssectionfordetails.LaserSpecs: 120WattCO2laser(X2-660) 150WattCO2laser(PLS6.150D)MaxSheetSize: 18”x32”;Maxdepthrangesfrom3/8”to1/2”bymaterialFileTypes: Illustrator(.ai)vectorfiles;AutoCAD(.dwg)filesMaterials: SeeApprovedMaterialsListApplicableFines: $50minimumfineforirresponsiblecutting,damage,etc Seefinessectionformoredetails.PricingandFees: Walk-incutting:$0.15perminutefromcheck-intocheck-out Reservedcutting:$5.00for45minutes Seeaccesssectionfordetails.




Accessing the Laser Cutter

Walk-ins• Allauthorizedusersareabletowalkinanduseeitherlasercutterwhenithasnotbeenreservedinadvance,orwhen

ano-showforareservationoccurs.Walk-inusersmustcheckinwithalabmonitorpriortocutting;additionally,itistheuser’sresponsibilitytocheckoutwiththelabmonitoraftercleaningup.

• Thewalk-inusagefeeis$0.15/minute.ArtiCardpaymentisdueatthetimeofcheckout.• Unpaidfeeswillremainonauser’saccountandmaycauseaholdtobeplacedwhichrestrictsaccesstootherareas

oftheschool.Usersareresponsibleforknowingiftheyhaveanoutstandingfineorbalanceontheiraccount.• Walk-inuserscanuseasmuchtimeasisavailable,uptowhenthenextreservationstartsor30minutesbeforethe

labcloses,whichevercomesfirst.

Reservations• Reservationsmustbemadeinpersonthroughalabmonitoratleast3hoursbeforethetimebeingreserved,andno

morethan2weeksinadvance.• Reservationscanonlybemadein45-minuteblocks.Youcanreserveupto8sessionsof45-minuteseachperweek.

Thereisnolimitforwalk-inuse.• Uponmakingareservation,youmustpayanon-refundableadvanceusagefeeviaArtiCard.Thisappliestoallautho-

rizedusers(includingfacultyandstaff).Thefeeis$5per45-minutetimeslot,andisnotrefundableunderanycircum-stances.

• Reservationsarenon-transferablefromonepersontoanother.Youcanonlymakeandusereservationsforyourself.• Reservationscanberescheduledifyounotifylabstaffatleast3hoursinadvanceofyourreservedtimeslot.• Youwillbegivena10-minutegraceperiodtoshowupforyourreservedtimeslot.Afterthegraceperiodexpires,your

slotwillbecomeavailableforwalk-inusersattheper-minuterate.• Intheunlikelyeventthatyourreservedtimeslotmustbecanceledduetoequipmentmalfunctionorotherunforesee-

ableissues,youwillbenotifiedasquicklyaspossibleandgiventheoptiontomakeanewreservationattheearliestavailabletimeslot.

• Intheeventthatalasercutteristakenoffline,itwillnotbeavailableforreservationuntilitisoperationalagain.

Authorizations• Beforeusingthelasercutter,youmustfirstattendanauthorizationsession.Currentlyenrolledstudents,facultyand

staffcanbeauthorizedforlasercutting.• Theinformationcoveredduringauthorizationswillchangeassoftwareandhardwareareupdatedorreconfigured.To

keepusersuptodateonlasercuttertechniquesandpolicies,authorizationswillbegoodforonecalendaryear,afterwhichyoumayneedtobere-authorizeddependingonyouractivitylevel.

• Viewtheauthorizationschedulepleasespeaktolabstaff.

Document Preparation

Set up your document in Illustrator

• InIllustrator,selectFile->New..

• Set“Width”to32inchesand“Height”to18inches

• Setorientationto“Landscape”and“ColorMode”toRGB

• ClickOK



Page:3of12 LastModified:June10,201312:00PM

Turn on the Rulers:

• SelectView->Rulers->ShowRulers

Set the Guides:

• Setaguidelinetothebottomedgeofyourmaterialandtherightedgeofthematerial.

• Wealsorecommendyouplaceaguideata¼”inchfromeachedgeofthedocumentthatyourmaterialwilltouch.Thiswillinsetthedesignslightlysoitiscompletelycon-tained.

Preparing your graphics in IllustratorCut Type Graphics Requirements Single/Multipass Order End Result

RasterEngraving

• FilledShapesortext• Images(jpg,bitmap,etc)• Lineswithheavystroke

weights(+0.1pt)• Gradations

Multi-pass(likeaninkjetprinter)

BeforeVectorLinesfollowingcolor

table

Engravedarea(Powerislimitedtopre-ventcuttingthrough)

VectorEngravingLineswiththeseproperties• 0.1ptstrokeweight• Alignedtocenter• Nobrushstrokes• Nodashedlines

• Nocompoundpaths• Noclippingpaths

Singlepass(followingvectorpath) Dependentoncolor

Engravedline(Powerislimitedtopreventcutting

through)

VectorCutThrough-cutline(Power

isincreasedtocutthrough)

Thelasercuttercanmakethreedifferenttypesofcuts;seethetableaboveforanoverviewofeach.AllcutscanbesentfromthesameIllustratorfile.Graphicsinthefilearegroupedintodifferentcolors,whichallowsthelasercuttertodistin-guishdifferentcutsfromoneanother.Colorarealsousedtodeterminetheorderinwhichvectorcutsandengravingstakeplace.

Color Order RedValue GreenValue BlueValue

Black 1st 0 0 0

Red 2nd 255 0 0

Green 3rd 0 255 0

Yellow 4th 255 255 0

Blue 5th 0 0 255

Magenta 6th 255 0 255

Cyan 7th 0 255 255Orange 8th 255 102 0

NOTE:UsetheexactRGBcolorvalueslistedinthetableabove,andmakesureyourIllustratordocumentisintheRGBcolormode(NOTCMYK)whenfilepreppingforthelasercutter;otherwisethelasercutterwillnotreadyourfile!




Whenthelasercutterrunsafile,itautomaticallyprocessesrasterengravingfirst,beforevectorengravingsandvectorcuts.Itwillthenprocessallvectorcutsandvectorengravingsasonegroup--thisiswherecolorshouldbeusedtocontroltheorderofcuts.Intheexamplebelow,blackhasbeendesignatedforrasterengravings,redforvectorengraving,andgreenforvectorcutting.

(Thecolorsusedhereareonlyanexample;thesamecutscouldbemadewithdifferentcolors.)

Bysettingupthevectorandrasterengravingstogofirst,we’llkeepthematerialstationaryuntiltheoutlinecutismade.Whenthefileisrun,thecutsandengravingswillhappeninthisorder.1. Rasterengraving(black)2. Vectorengraving(red)3. Vectorcut(green)Whensettingupafileforlasercutting,useadifferentcoloranytimeyouwanttoassigndifferentsettingsoraffectthecuttingorderofagroupofcuts.

Fig.1:SourceFile

Fig.2:FinishedCut

NOTE:Agoodtechniqueforkeepingyourcutsinorderistoassignyourlastcuttothelastcoloronthelist,andworkyourwaybackwardstowardsthefirstcut.

Power SettingsUsethelasercuttercontrolpaneltoassignpowersettingsandcuttypestothecolorsinyourfile.

Assigning Power Settings

1. InIllustrator,selectFile-->Print...

2. Makesurethe“Printer”issetto“LaserCutter”

3. Inthelowerleftcornerofthe“Print”dialogbox,clickthe“Setup...”button,then“Preferences”.

4. Thelasercuttercontrolpanelwillappear.Nowyoucanassignthepowersettingsforthedifferentcolorsinyourfile. Powersettingsareavailableonlineat: crit.artic.edu/aoc/lasersettings.html Samplesarevisiblenexttothelasercutters.




• PenMode • VECT=vectorcutsANDvectorengravings • RAST=rasterengravings • SKIP=ignorethiscolor • RAST/VECT=DONOTUSE• Power:Thepowersettingforthelaserbeam,rangesfrom

0-100%.Morepower=deepercut;lesspower=shallowercut• Speed:Thespeedofthelaserhead,rangesfrom0-100%.Less

speed=deepercut;morespeed=shallowercut. •Speedsover15%maycausewavycutsinsmallor intricatelines.DO NOT EXCEED 25% FOR VECTOR! • PPI(Pulsesperinch):Spacingbetweenlaserpulses • LowPPI(0-150)=perforation,notmuchburning • MediumPPI(150-750)=smoothercutresolution,some

burning • HighPPI(750-1000)=smoothestresolution,moreburning

Assigning Power Settings5. Inthelasercuttercontrolpanel,selectthedesired

colorrowbyclickingonit.6. UsethePOWER,SPEED,andPPIslidersto

adjustyoursettings,orentertheexactnumbersintheirboxes.Youcanusethesettingsfoundinthebindernexttothecomputer,buttheymayneedtobeadjustedslightlyforyourparticularmaterial.

7. Whenyouarefinishedassigningsettingsforthatcolor,setyour“PenMode”andclick“Set”.

8. MakesureprintselectionissetUP9. Click“OK”inthelasercuttercontrolpanel,then

“Print”intheseconddialogwindow.10. Inthefirstprintdialog,makesurethatthe

Auto-Rotateisselected,andthatthepreviewlooksrotated90degreescounter-clockwise(don’tworry,itwillcutcorrectly).

Don’t hit Print until the laser cutter is turned on.

NOTE:It’sagoodideatohavealabmonitordoublecheckyoursettingsbeforesending.Whilethewon’tguaranteeyou’llgettheexactcutresultsyouwant,itwillhelppreventfileswithdangeroussettingsfrombeingsent!




Focus Settings and PrintingAfteryouhavepreparedyourfile,themachineandyourmaterialmustbepreparedforcutting.Sincethelaseractuallyburnsthroughthematerialitcutsandengraves,itisveryimportanttoonlyuseapprovedmaterialsandtowatchthecutteratalltimesduringtheoperationincaseoffire.Cuttingthewrongmaterialsorusingthecutterirresponsiblycanresultinharmtoyou,thelasercutterandthelabstaff,aswellasgeneratefinestoyourstudentaccount.

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Turnonthewallswitchnexttotheventalationpipe.

Hit“Escape”toexitfocus-ingmode.Placethegaugebackintoitsslot,makingsureitdoesn’tstickout.

Alwaysturnthemachineone,openthelid,andhit“Z”BEFOREplacingyourmaterial.

Placethebaseofthefocusingtoolflatonyourmaterial,andlineitupslightlyinthefrontofthelaserhead.

Focusissetwhenthelipofthefocusingtoolisalignedwiththebottomedgeofthelasercarriage.Theflatpartshouldbeflushwiththefaceofthelenscarriage,withthefocusingtoolsittingflat.

Bydefaultthebedwillraiseandlowerbytenthsofaninch.Usecautionwhenmovingthebedasitcancrashintothelasercarriage.Whenthefocusingtoolgetsclosetothelasercarriage,hitthe“check”button,thenraiseorlowerthelaserinhundredthincrementsusingtheupanddownarrows.

Remembertosetthefocusanytimeyoustartusingthemachine,aswellaswhenyouswitchtoamaterialwithadifferentdepth.

NOTE:Beforeusingthemachine,havealabmonitorchecktomakesurethecuttingtableisalignedproperly.

Printing the file• Makesurethelasercutteristurnedon• Beforeprintingyoushouldhavealabmonitorcheckyourfocusanddriversettings• Onceyoursettingsarechecked,click“Print”tosendthefiletothelasercutter• Thefilenamewillappearonthedisplaypanelofthelasercutter,alongwithpowersettingsforthefirstcut.Ifthese

settingsallreadzeroand/orthemachinebeepsuponreceivingthefile,thereisanerrorthatmustbecorrected.Usuallythismeanswrongcolorsorstrokeweights.

• Withtheenclosurelidraised,pushingstartwilltraceoutthepathwithoutcutting.Makesurethecutsareintheproperarea;adjustthefileifneeded.

• Nowhit“Pause”andclosetheenclosure.• Withthelidclosed,hitting“Start”willcausethelasertoactuallycutthefile.• Youmustwatchthecutteroutputyourentirefile.DONOTLEAVETHECUTTERRUNNINGUNATTENDED!• Ifyouneedtotemporarilystopcutting,hitthe“Pause”buttonandWAITFORTHELASERTOSTOPCUTTING.The

cuttermustfinishthelastlineitstartedbeforepausing;ifitisalonglineoraslowcut,itcantakeseveralminutesforthecuttertostop.




Laser Cutter Safety

Themostcommonsafetyriskwhileusingthelasercuttercomesfromfire.Anyoneusingthecuttermustsitinfrontofitandwatchtheirentirejobuntilitisfinished.Failuretodosomayresultinfines,damagetothemachine,andpossiblebodilyharmtotheuserandlabemployees.Anyoneusingthelasercuttermustwearsuppliedprotectiveeyewear.NOTE:Ifatanytimeduringcuttingyounoticeanythingunusual,shutoffthemachineimmediately!Thisincludesfire,looseparts,warpedmaterials,oranythingthatlooksorsoundsstrangetoyou...WHENINDOUBT,SHUTITOFF!

NOTE:Wheneverthe“Pause”buttonishit,thelaserwillfinishwhicheverpathitisintheprocessofcompletingbeforestopping.Thiscan,insomecases,takeuptoseveralminutes.

General Safety

• Eyeprotectionintheformoflaser-ratedsafetygogglesisrequiredbyallusers.Safetygogglesareavailableforcheckoutfromthelabmonitor.Pleasenoteregularglasses(evensafetyglasses)arenotadequate.

• Whenusingaflexiblematerialsuchaspaper,theedgesmustbehelddownsecurelywithtapeoramultimatcheckedoutfromalabmonitor.

• Cellphones/texting, and laptop or desktop use are not allowed while monitoring a cut. Headphones and reading a book are OK!

• Afteryourjobfinishescutting,theenclosurelidmustbeleftshutforatleast10-15secondstoallowforsmokeandfumestobeexhausted.

Responding to Small Fires/Flare-ups

• Watchyourjobcarefully.Ifyounoticeasmallflare-upwhileyourjobisbeingprocessed,hitthe“Pause”button,andwaitforthelaserheadtoclearthetable.Thewallswitchcanalsobeusedtoimmediatelystopthelasercutter.

• Opentheenclosurelid,andspraytheflare-upoutusingthewaterbottleonthesideofthemachineiftheflare-updoesnotgooutonitsown.

• Closethelid,andhitthe“Resume”buttonifyouwishtocontinuewhereitleftoff.• Ifyounoticethatyourmaterialisbeingscorchedorisproducingvisiblesmokeorflame,eitherlowerthepower

setting,increasethespeedsettingorre-checkyourfocus.

Excessive Fire/Smoke

• Ifyourjobbeginstoproducelargeflamesand/orexcessivesmoke,immediatelynotifythenearestlabstaffmember.• Thereisafireextinguisherlocatednearthedoorinsidethelasercuttingroom,aswellasoneontherightwall

immediatelyoutsidethelasercuttingroom.

Fines

Thestandardfinefordamagingorirresponsiblyoperatingthelasercutteris$50.Unpaidfineswillremainonauser’saccountuntiltheyarepaid,andmaycauseaholdtobeplacedonanaccount,whichrestrictsaccesstootherareasoftheschool.Usersareresponsibleforknowingiftheyhaveanoutstandingfineorbalanceontheiraccount.Thefollowinginfractionswillresultinfines:• Cuttinghazardousornon-approvedmaterials• Cuttingwithoutlabmonitorsupervision• Cuttingwithoutfirstcheckinginwiththelabmonitoronduty• Producingexcessive(visible)smokeand/orfire.• Walkingawayfromthecutterwhileitisoperating• Anyunsafecutting,orcuttingthatcausesdamagetothecarriageorbed.




Laser Cutter Components & ControlsFamiliarizeyourselfwiththelasercuttercomponentsshownbelow.Beforecutting,allusersshouldhaveabasicunder-standingofhowthelasercutterworks,aswellashowtofocusthelaserandstart,pauseandresumecutjobs.

120 Watt

150 Watt

ZButton:TheZbuttonisusedtoenter/exitfocusingmode.WhenworkingfromtheREADYorFILEDISPLAYmenus,presstheZbuttontobeginfocusing.(Donothitmultipletimesorholddown).Afterthefocushasbeenset,hittheBACKbuttontoexit.

120Watt:UPandDOWN:TheUPandDOWNarrowsareusedtomovethecursorinthedisplay,andtoincreaseordecreasevaluessuchaspowerandspeed.

150Watt:UP,DOWN,LEFT,RIGHT:Thearrowkeysareusedtonavigatethroughmenusinthedisplay,andincreaseanddecreasevaluessuchaspowerandspeed.

SELECTandBACK:UseSELECTandBACKtonavigatemenus,andtogglemenuitemstodisplaydifferentsettings.

START:UsetheSTARTbuttonwiththeenclosurelidraisedtorunatestofaloadedfile.UsetheSTARTbuttonwiththelidclosedtostartthecuttingprocessontheloadedfile.

PAUSEandRESUME:PAUSEwilltemporailystoparunningfile,andRESUMEwillstartthelasercutteratthepointitleftoff.




Saving and Loading Profiles

Time Estimate

Onceyourhavefoundtheappropriatesettingsforyourmaterial,youcansaveouttheprofileofallthecurrentsettingsforfutureuse.Keepinmindthatwhensavingandloadingprofilestheywillonlyworkforthatparticulardepthofmaterial,andonthelasercutteryouarecurrentlyworkingwith;aprofileforcutting1/8”acrylicwon’tworkonapieceof1/4”acrylic.AlsoremembertousethesamecolorsinyourIllustratorfiles.

Agoodtechniqueforsavingsettingsistoassignthreedistinctgroups-oneforeachtypeofcut.Thiswaywhenyouloadasavedprofileitwillbeclearwhichsettingsgowithwhichcuts.Intheexampletotheright,thesettingsforcorrugatedcardboardhavebeenenteredingroupsoftwo.

Onceyouarereadytosave,clicktheSavebuttonintheSettingssection,andassignafilenameandlocation.Yourprofilewillbesavedwitha“.las”fileextension.Toloadaprofile,clickLoadandnavigatetothefolderwhereyoursavedprofileislocated.

Ifyouwanttoknowhowlongafileisgoingtotaketocutandyouarecuttingononeofthenewlasercutters(notold60wor120w),sendyourfileasnormalandclickontheredicononthedocktray(#1intheimagetotheleft).

Inthisprogramclickonthestopwatchicon(#2)andclickthestartbutton(#3).Thiswillrunthroughthefileandletyouknowexactlyhowlongitwilltaketocut.




Imagedensityissetonascaleof1-6*1=fastest,lowestresolution5=defaultimagedensity6*=slowest,highestresolution*7onthe150W

Imagedensityissetinthedriver,alongwithpowerandspeedsettings.

Generally,whenusinganimagedensitysettingotherthan5,thecutterwillonlyperformrasterengravings;forvectorengravings/cutsthefilemustbesentagainwiththerasterengravingcolor(s)settoSKIP,andtheimagedensitysetto5.

Also,remembertosettheMediaSizesettingtoUserDefinedLandscapebeforeprinting.

Advanced Printing Options

Image DensityTheimagedensitysettingdeterminesthenumberofpassesthatwillbemadetoformarasterengraving.Ahighimagedensitysettingwillproduceaverydetailedengraving,whichtakesalongtimetocomplete;alowimagedensitysettingwillproduceaquicker,lessdetailedengraving.Engravingtimecanbegreatlyreducedbyloweringtheimagedensitysetting,oftenwithlittlenoticabledifferenceinthefinalproduct.

Highimagedensity Lowimagedensity




Color Grouping Raster Engravings

Fileswithmultiplerasterengravingscanalsobespedupbystrategicallygroupingrasterengravingsbycolor.Rasteren-gravingsofthesamecolorareessentiallytreatedasasingleshapewhentheyarehorizontallyaligned.Thetwoidentical-lycolorcirclesbelow(Fig1)areengravedinthesamesetofpasses.Todothis,thelasermustspendagoodamountofextratimepassingovertheemptyspaceinbetweenthem;inface,thetwocircleswouldtakeexactlyaslongtoengraveastheelongatedcircle(Fig2),eventhoughtheyhaveamuchsmallerengravingarea.

Toavoidexcessiverasterengravingtimes,groupseparatehorizontallyalignedrastershapesintodifferentcolorswhenthereisasubstantialdistancebetweenthem(Fig3).Thiswaythelaserwon’thavetospendextratimepassingovertheemptyspacebetween.

Fig.3

Fig.1

Fig.2

Laser Cutter MaterialsAllmaterialsusedonthelasercuttermustbeapprovedbythelabmanagementpriortocutting.Somematerialscanbeextremelytoxicand/ordamagingtothemachine.Reflectivematerialsshouldneverbecut,astheycancausethelaserbeamtoreflectandbounceoutoftheenclosure.Pleasedonotattempttocutanyunapprovedmaterials;thereisa$50fineforcuttingunsafematerials.Ifyouhavequestionsaboutaneworunapprovedmaterial,pleaseaskalabmonitor.

Approved MaterialsAnythinginthissectionissafetocutfromanyvendor.Noneedtospeakwithlabstaffbeforepurchase.

Material RasterEngraving VectorEngraving VectorCutCorrugatedCardboard OK OK OKUncoatedPaper OK OK OKChipboard/Matboard/Museumboard OK OK OKResaleAcrylic OK OK OKInteriorPlywood OK OK OKBalsaWood/Basswood OK OK OKHardwoods(DomesticOnly) OK OK OKArriesBoard(ResaleMDF) OK OK OKMasonite OK OK OKResaleCork OK OK OKResaleVegetabletannedleather OK OK OKResaleMuslin OK OK OKUnmountedLinoleum OK OK OKGlass OK OK NOTOK




Laser Cutter Materials Continued

Thematerialslistedherearebannedfromlasercutting.Ifyouattempttocutanythinglistedbelowyouwillbeissueda$50fine.

BANNED MATERIALS

Material BannedReasonPETG,PET Alongwithotheremissions,isknowntoemitBenzenewhichisknowntocausecancer.Polystyrene Knowntoemitstyrenefumes.ABS Emitscyanidegasandtendstomelt.PVC Emitschlorinegasduringacut.BendingPlywood Bendsintothepathofthelasercarriageduringoperation.TropicalHardwoods Alotoftropicalhardwoodshavetoxinsinthewood.Corian CreatesafinegritinsidethelaserbedandwillgrinddownequipmentCastingWax Meltsalot.Nylon Emitstoxicfumes.Vinyl EmitschlorinegasduringacutDelrin Alongwithotheremissions,isknowntoemitBenzenewhichisknowntocausecancer.Foamcore Foamcoreisanexpandedpolystyreneandisknowntoemitstyrenefumeswhencut.

Special Condition MaterialsMaterialslistedfromheremustbeboughtfromthevendorlistedorafterapprovalfromanlabmanager.Receiptsmustbepresenteduponrequestoryouwillnotbeabletocutthematerialinquestion.

Material RasterEngraving VectorEngraving VectorCutNon-ResaleAcrylic Vendor: Inventables, McMaster-Carr, Peterson’s Plastics OK OK OK

MirroredAcylicVendor: Inventables, McMaster-Carr, Peterson’s PlasticsOther notes: Material must be masked off and mirrored side face down during the cutting process.

OK OK OK

WoolFelt(GradeF10)Vendor: McMasterOther notes: Raster engraving can create very smelly cuts. Please bag off all materials after cutting. Extended ventilation also highly suggested.

OK OK OK

UnglazedPorcelainTileVendor: AnyOther notes: Engraving this material produces a very bright point at the beam. Do not look directly at the beam.

OK OK NOTPOSSIBLE

RowmarkPlasticsVendor: InventablesOther notes: The following Rowmark products are okay; LaserMark, LaserMax, Flexibrass/Flexicolor, Textures, ADA Alternative

OK OK OK

Non-ResaleFabricsOther notes: Material cannot be dyed unless proof of natural dyes.

OK OK OK

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Guide for File Prep and Cutting Universal Laser Cutters · Raster engraving (black) 2. Vector...

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